Brown Bunyip - Tamasa tristigma

Family Cicadidae

This page contains pictures and information about Brown Bunyip Cicadas that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.


Male, body length 20mm

Brown Bunyip is one of the commonly seen cicada in Brisbane. Most pictures in this page were taken on the Liquidambar trees in our backyard in Eight mile Plains in Brisbane during mid summer. It can also be found on casuarinas, acacias and jacarandas. They are small and usually sit on the tree trunks, about two meters from ground. Because they often sit in the shadow, with their camouflaged colour, they are not easily seen.


Male, body length 20mm

This Cicada is light brown in colour with black pattern on thorax. Across the abdomen there are the black, brown and light brown narrow bands. Wings are clear, males have three dark spots on tips of each forewings.


Female, body length 20mm

We took the above pictures on a gum tree trunk near Bulimba Creek in early summer. The Cicada was hard to be noticed for its camouflage colour. It is pale brown in colour with clear wings.



Their song is a long continuous low pitch zeep which may continue for minutes.